Thursday 9 December 2010 04.51 EST
First published on Thursday 9 December 2010 04.51 EST

The Lockerbie bomber has slipped into a coma, is on life-support and is not expected to recover, it was reported today. "Everyday is expected to be his last," a source close to his family is said to have told Sky News.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has prostate cancer was controversially released from a Scottish prison in August 2009, supposedly because he was on the brink of death. Secret US embassy cables sent to WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian revealed UK government fears that Libya would take "harsh and immediate action" against British interests if Megrahi died in prison.

The source quoted by Sky said: "He is on life support and has been for some days. Many people have been waiting for him to die. That day is coming very soon. Every day, his loved ones expect it to be his last."

Megrahi was released by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds but had been expected to live for only three months. The decision caused outrage in the US and Barack Obama warned Libya against giving him a hero's welcome. But thousands, including Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif, were at a military airport in Tripoli to greet him.

Last week Gaddafi said Megrahi's family would be suing over his alleged "neglect" in Greenock prison. Speaking to students in London via a video link, he said: "His health was not looked after in prison. He didn't have any periodic examination. I wish him a long life. After he passes away, his family will demand compensation because he was deliberately neglected."

Campaigners in the UK are calling for an independent inquiry into the bomber's conviction.